CANTERBURY College student Richie Goodfellow has vowed to fight on after narrowly missing his first shot at winning a national amateur boxing title.

The 20-year-old took time out from his business studies course to fight in Saturday's Novice English ABA final in Nottingley in Yorkshire where he was out-pointed by Manchester's Graham Higginson.

Though Goodfellow dominated the opening two rounds with well-timed body shots and sharp jabs that left Higginson with a bloodied nose. But Higginson, representing the Nichols Police ABC, threw all his shots in round three to clinch a 9-6 title win on computer scoring.

Goodfellow's mentor and Canterbury Amateur Boxing Club match-maker Dave Kenward said: "Richie was winning 5-4 going into the final round and just had to see the round out to take the title, but Higginson came out of his corner steaming.

"He landed a couple of big hooks and got Richie onto the back foot.

"We're not trying to take anything away from Higginson, but had the fight been decided manually by judges we feel our boy would have taken it 59-58."